Kizuna

Character Creation

You are not a class.

You are not a role.

You are a fixer in Night City.

Your character is defined by how they move through the world, what they know, who they can reach, and what they are willing to risk to get things done.

You don't solve problems directly.
You build leverage, then act.

How to Think About Your Character

When creating your character, focus on:

  • What do I know that others don't?
  • Who can I bring in?
  • What can I put on the table?
  • What happens when things go wrong?

And most importantly:

  • What kind of Legend am I becoming?
  • What am I willing to sacrifice to get there?

Strong characters have:

  • clear strengths
  • clear blind spots

If a trait applies to everything, it's too vague.
If it never creates problems, it's too weak.

How Traits Work

This game uses Cortex Prime. Your character isn't defined by a class or a set of fixed numbers — they're defined by a collection of traits, each rated as a die size from d4 to d12. The bigger the die, the stronger or broader that trait is.

When you act, you pick the traits relevant to what you're doing and roll them together. You take the two highest results and add them — that's your total against whatever the GM rolls. The unused die measures your effect: a d4 means a small impact even if you win, a d10 means you hit hard.

A narrow trait (d4 Edge) gets used rarely and rolls small. A broad, well-invested trait (d10 Buzz) shows up often and hits harder. Traits that never apply were written wrong. Traits that apply to everything were written too vague.

You can spend Plot Points to add extra dice, reroll, or activate special effects. You earn them when your traits — especially your Code — create problems for you during play.

Building Your Character

Traits are not single numbers — they are named statements within each group. You don't have a d8 in Strings; you have "Netrunner Crew That Owes Me d8" and "Fixer in Heywood d6". The name is as important as the die. It defines when the trait applies and when it doesn't.

Each trait group works differently:

Legend → The story others tell about you. Fixed at d6 + d4. Write it as a named statement — what people believe you're capable of before you act.
Origin → Where you came from and what it made you. Fixed at d6 + d4. Shapes your instincts, your access, and your blind spots.
Code → The line you follow until it costs you. Fixed at d6 + d4 — but can be invested further. See the Code bonus below.
Edge → One or two named statements for what you can do alone, backed into a wall. Also fixed at d6 + d4. Not part of the pool.
Buzz, Strings, Resources, Chrome → Your operational traits. You write named statements across all four groups and distribute a pool of 2×d8, 4×d6, 5×d4 among them. Invest where your character's actual strengths are.

Code bonus: If you invest in your Code beyond the d6+d4 baseline — raising it to reflect a stronger commitment — you earn bonus steps for your operational pool. Every 2 steps above baseline gives you 1 additional die step to spend. Keeping a strong Code pays off mechanically and narratively.

Trait Meta Groups

Who You Are

Defines your identity and what shapes your decisions.

Your Network

External leverage — information, people, and material you can bring to bear.

Personal Edge

What you bring yourself — your cyberware and your last resort.

Pressures

Defines what pushes back on you.

Hover over a trait to see details.